Vent for gravity-flow meter and heater apparatus



l. L. F-ITTS AND W. F. B ILYEU.

VENT FOR GRAVITY FLOW METER AND H EATER APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED luLY 23,1919.

1,37 1,554. Patented Mar. 15, 1921.

/FHTER 28 34 27 .T 35' Maz/m BRM/rmt A TTOHNEYS.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES LOGAN FITTS, OIE' MERCHANTVILLE, AND WILLIAM F. BILYEU, OF RIVERTON, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNORS TO WARREN YVEBSTER c COMPANY, OF CAMDEN, NEV JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

VVENT FOR GRAVITY-FLOW METER AND HEATER APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 15, 1921.

Original application led .Tuly 18, 1917, Serial No. 181,448. Divided and this application led `Tuly 23, 1919. Serial No. 312,860.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that we, JAMES LOGAN Fir-Ts, a citizen of the United States, residing at Merchantville, in the county of Camden, State of New Jersey, and VILLIAM F. BIL- YnU, a citizen of the United States, residing at Riverton, county of Burlington, State of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Vent for Gravity-F low Meter and Heater Apparatus, of which the following is a specification. Y

In the art of heating and measuring water, wherein a feed water heater is employed in conjunction with a weir or other meter or measuring device, it is well known that conditions may arise to prevent the free entrance of steam into the feed water heater, which same conditions might prevent the free outflow of water from the heater, and it is obviously desirable to pro-- vide for free inflow and outflow from both heater and meter Vat' all times.

Tn the appliances of this general character, which are now on the market, a plain equalizing pipe between the heater and the meter in conjunction with a vent pipe to the atmosphere has been employed, which is deficient, for the reason that this construction permits of a waste of steam through this vent from the heater. l Y

In our novel device, we employ the feature of the vacuum breaker, a check ,valve and a special gate valve, with a perforated disk, which permits a free discharge of air without waste of steam and at the same time provides a means for automatically controlling a partial vacuum within the heater and the meter. Y

In addition to the use of a ventV and vacuum breaker of the character above described, we have successfully controlled the vent from the heater and meter apparatus by the use fof a thermostatic valve which acts as a steam conserver, together with a check valve, which acts as a vacuum breaker to prevent there being too great a vacuum within the heater and meter, since an excessive vacuum would result in holding a column of water in the heater and the meter and the piping to the pump to the detriment lof the pumping system.

We have also found from practical ex- .s perience that in the combination of a feed water heater and a meter, therel are certain times when the steam supply is limited and is insufiicient in volume to heat the water to the highest temperature, the air which is expelled through the water accumulating iii-the top of the heating apparatus and rendering the device inoperative until this air has been removed by a pressure of steam.

Also, to obviate the necessity of steam entering at a pressure to get rid of the air together with being able to use steam at pressure less than that of the atmosphere by maintaining a partial vacuum in the feed water heater and meter, we employ a suitable suction creating or air drawing dcvice in connection with our combined feed water heater and meter, which we have found to possess advantageous features over the devices now in use.

To the above ends, our invention consists of the novel combination of a lfeed water heater, a meter, an air pipe communicating with the interior 0f said heater and meter, and having a common air outlet branch leading to the atmosphere, a vacuum breaker, a check valve and a throttling valve of novel construction located in said branch.

It further consists of a novel combination of a gravity flow meter, an air pipe communicating with the interior thereof, and having a branch leading to the atmosphere in which are located a vacuum breaker, a check valve and a throttling valve.

To the above ends, our invention, which in its broad aspects is a division of our contemporaneouslv pending application filed July 18th, 191)?, Serial No. 181,4;48, consists of a novel construction of equalizing and venting device adapted for use in conjunction with a heater and a meter, the novel features of which will be hereinafter fully set forth and particularly pointed out in the claims.

For the purpose of illustrating our invention, we have shown in the accompanying drawings forms thereof which are at present preferred byl us, since the same will give in practice satisfactory and reliable results, although it is to be understood that the various instrumentalities of which our invention consists can be variously arranged and organized and that our invention is not limited to theA precise arrangement and organization of these instrumentalities as herein shown and described.

Figure 1 represents a side elevation of a vent for gravity flow combined feed Water heater and meter embodying our invention, a portion of a Wall of the meter being broken away.

Fig. 2 represents on an enlarged scale a longitudinal sectional viev1 of the vacuum breaker, check valve and special gate valve employed.

Similar numerals'of reference indicate corresponding parts.

Referring to the drawings 1 designates a feed water heater' of any suitable or conventional type, having a cold water inlet 2 and an inlet 3 for exhaust steam. 4: designates a gravity flow meter of suitable construction, which is in communication with said feed water heater through the medium of the pipe 5 having the valve 6 therein, through Which the heated water flows to the controlling valve '7, pipe 6, branch 9 and valve 10 to said meter. y11 designates a gravity or sink pan or equivalent ioat mechanism, which is located in the discharge chamber 12 of the meter a, said pan being suitably connected by the elenients la, 15 and 16 to the valve *proper within the casing 7 Whose detailed construction need not be described further, since the saine, per sc,forins no part of the present invention and is fully described in a contemporaneously pending application filed by us. Y

17 designates a pipe leading from the interior of the heater and in communication with the pipe 18 leading from the interior of the meter e, through which is normally a free communication to the atmosphere.. lf pressure in excess of that required for heating Water is present in the feed water heater 17 this will be relieved through the cheek valve 18X, Whose internal construction will be apparent from 3, said valve 18X comprising the casing having an inclined Wall 19Vtherein, providedivith a port 20 above which is located the valve proper 21, which is supported in inclined position by Y the pivoted arm 22, it being understood that said valve 21 norm ally is seated and assumes the position seen in Fig. 3. V

Y The check valve proper 21 is in the same pipe line as the gate valve 23, which comprises the casing 24, the valve prper 25 having the port 26 therein, said valve being capable of beinO raisedrand lowered through the medium of the spindle 27 and hand .y Wheel 28.

It will be seen that the valve 23 while capable of being operated in the usual manner,

cannot be used as a complete closure for the pipe 17 because of the small -hole 26 drilled in the valve disk 25. Y

it Will be apparent that by the provision of the valve 25 having the hole or port 26 therein, that when there is an excess/of eX- haust steam, and it is not desirable to discharge a considerable quantity lto Waste through said-valve, that the latter can be closed, in which event said port Will serve as a restricted. outlet for any air or other non-condensable gases which might otherwise accumulate in the heater and interfere with its proper functioning.

it Will be understood by those skilled in the art that there are times vvhenk it is the function of a feed Water heater to operate under a partial vacuum during Which times the check valve 21 prevents atmospheric air from entering the heater, but it is'undesirable to carry too high a vacuum in certain feed Water heaterconstructions, for which reason ive employa vacuum breaker valve 29 seen in Fig. 2, which comprises the casing 30 having the valvel seat 31 therein and the up-V wardly seating valve 32 carried `by the spindle 33 having the nut, head cr its equivalent Se thereon, belen7V which is the spring 35, .Whe-refrein it vvill be seen from Fig, 2 Vthat the tension ofthe spring will normally hold said valve seated or so set that it Will open upwardly to admit atmospheric air through the ports 36 in sufficient quantity to. reduce the vacuum Within the desired limits.

The construction seen on an enlarged scale in Fig. 2 clearly shows the preferred manner of correlating the vacuum breaker 29, the check valve casing 18c containing the check valve 21, andthe special gate valve 23 Y ha. *ing a port 26 in the disk ,25. thereof.

It will be understood from Fig. 1 that the pipes 17 and 18 are in communication with the interior of both the feed Water heater 1 and the meter 4C and that very advanta' geous results will be obtained by employing these pipes equipped With these vacuum controlling features seen `particularly in Fier.

2 in combination with a feed Water heaterv landa gravity-flow meter.

It will now be apparent that We have .devised a novel and useful construction ofa vent for gravity iioiv meter and heater apparatus, -ivhich embodies the features of-advantage enumerated as desirable in the statement of the invention and the above description, and While We have, inthe present instance, shown and described preferred embodiments thereofS which will give in practice satisfactory and reliable results, it is to be understood that the same is'susceptible of modification in various particulars Without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention or sacrificing any ofits advantages. l

Having thus described our invention what we claim as new and desire to secure by'Letters Patent, is

l. The combination of a Yfeed water heater, a meter, an air pipe communicating With the interior oi' said heater and meter and having a common air outlet branch leading to the atmosphere, a vacuum breaker, a check valve and Aa throttlingI valve located in said branch.

2. The combination of a feed Water heater, a meter, an air pipe communicating with the interior of Said heater and meter and having acommon air outlet branch leading' to the atmosphere, and an air exhaust device located in said branch and consisting of a vacuum breaker, check valve and a throttling valve having a port through the valve disk thereof.

3. The combination ot' a feed Water heater, a meter, and an air pipe communicating with the interior of said heater and meter and having a common air outlet branch leading to the atmosphere, an air exhaust device located in said branch and consisting of a vacuum breaker, check valve and a throttling valve having a port through the disk thereof, said vacuum breaker, check valve and throttling valve being located in said branch in the order named.

4. The combination with a feed Water heater, a gravity tlow meter, and an air pipe communicating 'with the interior of said heater and meter, said pipe having a coinmon air outlet branch leading to the atmosphere, said branch having therein an air exhaust device consisting of a vacuum breaker, a steam valve and a throttling valve havin@ a port through the disk thereof.

The combination of a gravity flow meter, an air pipe communicating With the interior thereof and having a branch leading to the atmosphere in which are located a vacuum breaker, a check valve and a throttling valve.

6. The combination oi' a gravity flow rneter, an air pipe communicating With the interior thereof and having a branch leading to the atmosphere in which are located a vacuum breaker,. a check valve and a throttling valve having a port in the disk thereof.

JAMES LOGAN FITTS. WILLIAM F. BILYEU.

vWitnesses.

PHILIP J. QUINN, A. V. GILMoRE. 

